Wake Me Up
by melpomene-muse of tragedy
Summary: An attack while exploring a moon leaves Sheppard and McKay stranded in a Puddle Jumper. Shep centric. Contains:Humor, action, drama, and ShepTeyla. Complete
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is actually the third Shep/Teyla fic I started. But due to it being shorter than the first one, having a more definite ending than the second one, and the time of year offering ample inspiration for this story…this one was finished first. I would like to dedicate this story to my Shepmagen friends. Who are so prolific I am now almost constantly reminded of how bad I am at finishing things:) I would also like to thank Capt. Ritter. Who read the very brief scene that began this fic and told me I should make more out of it. Well, here ya'are.

Warnings:

-Spoilers for season 2 up to The Tower

-Brief mild language

* * *

The Jumper shuddered as another blast hit. 

"_McKay_" Sheppard warned.

"I'm trying" McKay yelped.

"Pull up McKay!" the ground seemed to move up toward the ship.

"I can't" McKay shrieked.

"I knew I shouldn't have let you drive" were the last words out of Sheppard's mouth before the surface seemed to swallow them and everything went black.

* * *

When Sheppard awoke the jumper was pitch dark. 

"McKay" he received no reply. "_McKay_" he repeated, his voice all the more urgent because he couldn't see the seat beside him or tell if McKay was still in it.

"What?" McKay's voice finally answered from somewhere behind him.

"Where are you?" Sheppard stood, but the compact, easy to navigate 'Puddle Jumpers' as he'd so aptly named them seemed much larger when you couldn't see anything.

"On the floor, thought I'd find place to sleep, if possible"

"Well turn on your flashlight" Sheppard waited where he was and listened to the sound of Velcro as McKay searched for the flashlight attached in his vest. Finally the man found it and the smalllight lit up the back of the jumper. Sheppard followed the beam and found McKay lying on the floor with his eyes closed. Sheppard slowly lowered himself into a sitting position against the opposite wall from McKay. "We should probably stay awake." Sheppard told him. "If your head hit as hard as mine did we could both have concussions."

"I checked my watch" McKay said not bothering to sit up. "We were both unconscious for about an hour I think if we were going to die in our sleep we wouldn't have woke up."

"I don't think it works that way." Sheppard disagreed.

"Well judging by the fact that we'll run out of food, water, and life-support we might be better off." Rodney was customarily pessimistic.

"Is that a subtle hint for me to die from a head injury to increase you're chances of surviving until we're rescued?"

"Actually that thought never crossed my mind. Although if you feel the need to repay me for all the times I've saved your life…"

"Rodney"

"Sorry, bad joke"

"As long as you were joking" Sheppard grumbled and stretched his legs out.

"Of course if you keep your feet that close to my face I may take it back."

"Why don't you sit up?" Sheppard advised. "It'll make it easier to stay awake."

"Whatever you say Dr. Sheppard" McKay said sarcastically as he sat up.

"Hey all I know is I've been conked on the head more than once, had at least one concussion, and every doctor I've ever had's told me it's dangerous to sleep after a head injury. So why don't you stop complaining and tell me if you can fix this thing."

"If I could fix this thing do you think I'd be sitting on the floor arguing with you about whether or not I can sleep?" McKay snapped.

"So it's…"

"Dead" McKay finished. "Like we will be in a few hours."

"Now you're just being pessimistic" Sheppard leaned his head back against the wall. "We need to think of something to keep us awake."

"It's not like we have anything in common. Anything you talk about will put me to sleep and with your limited interests…"

"I get the idea" Sheppard interrupted. "There's always Truth or Dare" he joked darkly.

"Like I would trust you not to cheat" McKay retorted. "Of course, since there is a chance we're going to die out here there is one question I wouldn't mind having answered."

"What's that?"

"How many alien women have you been involved with exactly?"

"You know McKay your fascination with my social life is starting to creep me out."

"Consider it a side-effect of my not having one."

"Actually that doesn't make me feel any better."

"Okay, you want the truth? The truth is that some of the scientists have a pool going on you okay?"

"On me?" Sheppard repeated.

"Yeah the whole Kirk thing" McKay explained.

"I see"

"So?"

"So what?" Sheppard played dumb.

"So how many?"

Sheppard was thoughtful "If I tell you, and you win, I want half."

"You can't be serious"

"Or I could just wait until we get back and make a deal with Zelenka" John bargained.

"_If_ we get back"

"Right." Sheppard smiled smugly like a man with the upper-hand and nothing to lose.

"Ten percent" McKay offered.

"Fifty" Sheppard held firm.

"Twenty-five"

"Fourty"

"Thirty"

"Thirty-five"

"Agreed" McKay said grudgingly "How many?"

"Two" Sheppard told him.

"Two?"

"Yeah. There was Chaya, who doubtless you'll remember. I guess you could say we had a relationship of sorts. And then there was that princess…"

"The princess?"

"Well things didn't exactly work out between us but she made a pass at me so I figure…"

"That counts" McKay affirmed.

"I thought so"

"Wasn't there another one?" McKay asked looking perplexed.

"I don't think so. I mean there was that little spy the Wraith threw at me but I don't think that counts."

"Well if she made a pass at you…"

"I don't think it was _exactly_ a pass…"

"It still might count though if…"

Sheppard shook his head. "I'd really rather not think about that."

"All right. She wasn't the one I was thinking of anyway."

"Well I don't know who you are thinking of because I sure can't remember anybody."

"I know! That glowy chick who ascended and asked you to come along."

"Ah I don't know McKay. I mean she took my clothes off when I was unconscious. That's like a classic cliché, I mean its Gidget."

"Actually I think that was Tammy."

"Was it?"

"Yes"

"Okay Tammy then. That still doesn't constitute…."

"But asking you to another plane of existence sounds a little more serious than a bad date and a plate of spaghetti."

"Maybe they wanted me in case they needed afearless warriorin the next plane of existence." Sheppard suggested.

McKay snorted but let it slide. "I'm just saying that sounds at least as serious as the little blonde princess…"

"Okay," Sheppard agreed. "We can count her. But only if it helps us win the pool."

"She cinches it"

"Well why didn't you say so in the first place? I'd have counted her right away"

"I was trying to be as honest as possible"

Sheppard shook his head "So you had three?"

"Three to five actually. Nobody wanted to be nailed down to just one number."

"Did anyone else take three to five?"

"It's not the lottery. But to answer your question no, I don't think so."

"Good."

"Now we just need to live long enough to collect the money." McKay observed.

Sheppard checked his watch "I was thinking if nobody comes for us in an hour I might go to sleep."

McKay looked startled. "That's a little soon to give up hope"

Sheppard rolled his eyes. "I meant a _nap_ McKay. I thought maybe you could wake me in half an hour and we couldalternate sleeping half-hours. I think that'd be safer than staying awake so long we both totally pass out."

"You're probably right" McKay agreed.

"Now" Sheppard sighed loudly. "What the hell are _we_ going to talk about for another hour?"


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks guys, you're a great audience.

* * *

Sheppard stirred slowly, not wanting to leave the depths of his deep sleep.

"Colonel Sheppard"

Sheppard moaned.

"Colonel"

The persistent female voice finally roused him from his slumber. "Teyla" His tired eyes slowly opened to see her looking down on him with concern. "That you?"

"Yes" She placed her hand on his for conformation. "You are in the Infirmary, back home on Atlantis."

Sheppard looked around him. "Last thing I remember I was trying to stay awake with McKay droning on inside my head."

Teyla smiled. "I believe Dr. McKay was unsuccessful at keeping either you or himself awake. You were both asleep when we discovered your ship and brought you here."

"Well it's nice to be home" Sheppard looked around the infirmary. "Not that this would be my first choice of rooms but it beats a dark Jumper with Rodney all to…" Sheppard's eyes turned back to Teyla. "Why's it so dark in here anyway?"

"There was a problem with the power while you were gone. Dr. McKay has not yet awakened to fix it."

"Okay" Sheppard relaxed back onto the pillow. "Where's Beckett?"

"He is with Dr. McKay. Are you unwell?"

"I'm fine. Just had a few questions, concussions, brain damage, that kind of stuff."

"You are fine John."

"That's a relie…did you just call me John?"

"Did you not say I should?" Teyla asked.

"Yeah, absolutely, you just don't do it very often. I was kind of worried it was going to be one of those life and death scenario things."

Teyla smiled. "You needn't have. Colonel" She added with a playful smirk.

"So, you came back for me?" He asked her.

"Did you think we would leave you behind?" She seemed puzzled.

"That's not exactly what I…No" Sheppard decided to drop it. "I didn't"

"Something is troubling you" Teyla perceived.

"Nah," he brushed it off. "Just wondering how to thank you"

"I believe there are many ways" Teyla's said. "For instance I believe it is quite common for one to say 'Thank You'. Or perhaps it would be simpler for you to bring me flowers…" she quipped.

"I can think of another way" Sheppard suggested meeting her eyes, and hoping he could read them correctly as he reached out to touch her hair and leaned forward as far as he could in the damned hospital bed. Knowing full well he'd look and feel like a complete idiot if she didn't meet him half-way. But she did, and as their lips touched he had the feeling she hadn't just kissed him to save his pride…

* * *

"Wha'" Sheppard moaned and jerked awake as his eyes opened to the dark jumper and the cold of the hard floor beneath him soaking into his body. "I just knew that was too good to be true" he muttered.

"Let me guess" McKay's voice cut in. "Scantily dressed native girls feeding you breakfast in bed."

"Not exactly" Sheppard pressed a hand against his pounding forehead.

"Well I guess we just missed what will probably be our best chance at having something in common then" Rodney speculated.

"Probably" John agreed. "So that's what you were dreaming about on your last shift?"

"No last shift was actually just food. But this time there was so much food there had to be natives to carry it. Lots of native's, all female…"

"Are you telling me you were asleep just now?" Sheppard snapped sitting up.

McKay checked his watch. "It's my half-hour. You were supposed to be awake"

"I was asleep because you didn't wake me after _my_ half-hour."

"So we both got a little uninterrupted sleep. We're still alive aren't we?" McKay asked defensively. "At least for now, with the rising carbon dioxide levels and the fact that the jumper is growing colder by the minute concussions are the least of our worries."

"All right I get it." Sheppard gave in and started clearing gear off the bench on his side of the jumper.

"You're not seriously going to try to sleep on that ledge are you?" McKay asked.

"I'm considering it." Sheppard settled himself onto the bench. Considering how comfortable the pilots chair was you'd think the Ancients could have done better by the passengers. He pulled on a jacket and folded his tac-vest up for a pillow.

"When should I wake you?" McKay asked.

"Half an hour, an hour" Sheppard said with uncharacteristic indecision. "Whenever"

"What if I fall asleep again?" McKay's voice rose a little in pitch.

"Then we'll wake up when the rescue team gets here." Sheppard closed his eyes.

"But if you're right about the concussion thing…"

Sheppard opened his eyes again. "Look Rodney, I'm tired, I'm freezing, and this headache is killing me. I'm going to sleep." His eyes closed and he drifted off again before he could hear McKay reply.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: As always thanks for the reviews. Esp on my capturing the voices of the characters :)

* * *

"Are you awake?"

Sheppard squinted against the light shining in his eyes.

"Teyla?"

"Yes" He could hear the smile in her voice. "I am glad you are well. We were concerned."

"I'm fine." He assured her. "Could use a few pain killers…"

"Perhaps I could find something." Teyla started to stand from her chair beside his bed.

"It's okay" Sheppard said quickly. "You don't have to go."

Teyla hesitated and sat back down. "I am not going to leave you until Dr. Beckett returns."

Sheppard felt a little embarrassed at her soothing tone of voice. "Hey if you'd been trapped alone with Rodney for that long you wouldn't want you to leave either."

Teyla smiled sympathetically. "I believe you may be right."

"So what are the chances I can talk you into getting that light out of my eyes?"

Teyla's face took on an expression of concern. "I do not know what light you mean"

"The light in my eyes" Sheppard looked around for the source of the light but couldn't see anything nearby.

"You are not well." Teyla said in concern feeling his forehead for any telltale signs.

"I think you might have a point there" Sheppard said slowly.

* * *

Sheppard's eyes opened only to be blinded by the flashlight. "McKay" he snarled temperamentally. He propped himself up on one elbow to get his face out of the beam. His elbow slipped off the edge of the bench and Sheppard made a futile grab for the bench to steady himself before he hit the floor with a jarring thud.

The thud and accompanying curse was enough to stir McKay. "Wha?" He blinked at Sheppard. "What happened?"

"Your damn flashlight was in my eyes is what happened." Sheppard barked.

"I was asleep" McKay defended. "How was I supposed to know?"

"Forget it" Sheppard rolled over turning his back to McKay, pulled his makeshift pillow onto the floor and curled up as best he could to conserve body heat. Every time he woke he was colder and more tired than the time before. He knew that wasn't a good sign but by now he was too tired to care. He closed his eyes and welcomed sleep, and dreams.


	4. Chapter 4

"Colonel Sheppard"

"There you are" Sheppard's eyelids were heavy and hard to lift but he made the effort in order to see her looking down at him. "That's better." He commented noting the light was behind her this time instead of shining in his face.

"Colonel I need you to stand." Teyla told him. "I cannot carry you to the Jumper. You are going to have to walk."

"Jumper?" Sheppard was confused. He'd expected to be 'on Atlantis' again.

"Colonel, Major Lorne is in trouble on the planet. The ship that waits for us is needed to defend him and his men. You _must_ come with me."

Something about the urgency in her voice started to get through to him. "Are you really here?"

Teyla pressed a hand against the side of his face. "I am real" she promised.

"I thought I was dreaming again…"

"Shh" She shushed him. "You are safe now. But we must get you to the other Jumper before our position is discovered." Teyla moved her hand from his face to his shoulder and grasped his arm to help him up.

Sheppard pushed himself up with one arm as Teyla pulled him by the other until he was standing shakily on his feet. Sheppard wrapped an arm around her shoulders for balance. "Where's McKay?"

"The pilot has taken him to the ship." Teyla led Sheppard down the ramp slowly so he didn't loose his balance.

"I didn't know this moon's atmosphere was breathable." Sheppard said coming off the ramp.

"It is not" Teyla said as they crossed the short distance to the waiting ship and Sheppard saw that they were protected by the shield using the same technique he and Zeleka had employed to rescue McKay from the bottom of the ocean. Teyla led him up the ramp and helped him sit on the bench before rushing to the front and telling the pilot to take off.

"We're stopping on the planet to retrieve wounded." The pilot called back to them as Teyla sat down next to Sheppard.

"How bad is it?" Sheppard asked, his voice coming out weaker and raspierthan he'd expected. Teyla repeated the question to the pilot for him.

"Major Lorne is holding the Wraith off to protect the villagers. We'll fly in cloaked, load up the natives and wounded and try to make it to the Gate undetected. A couple more Jumpers should do it."

"Is he okay?" Sheppard asked Teyla nodding in the direction of McKay who was lying limp on the floor.

"He is unconscious." Teyla told him. "I believe he will be all right."

"Yeah" Sheppard agreed, gesturing for and receiving Teyla's canteen. "We've been fading in and out for a while now." He leaned back heavily against the ship, raised the canteen and took several long swallows in succession. "How far is it?" Sheppard closed his eyes.

"Fifteen, perhaps twenty minutes."

"Wake me up when we get there?"


	5. Chapter 5

Sheppard woke up suddenly to the sound of strange voices and the sight of the pilot and Teyla ushering people into the puddle jumper. McKay was still unconscious, propped up in the corner now to conserve space.

"What's the situation?" Sheppard asked standing up as the ship flooded with people.

"We're taking as many villagers and wounded as we can but we're almost full up." The pilot pushed his way to the front of the jumper and started closing the door. One of the female passengers raised her voice and grabbed Teyla's arm.

"Wait!" Teyla yelled to the front of the jumper. "Her family is out there."

"We're full up." the pilot called back. "There's not room in here"

"Lower the door Captain" Sheppard ordered.

"There's no room sir"

"Then I'll _walk_" Sheppard barked irritably. "Lower the door!"

Obviously doubting the Colonel's condition the pilot looked at Teyla for conformation. She nodded in the affirmative before looking at Sheppard carefully. "I will stay behind" She stepped in front of him as he headed towards the door. "You should continue to Atlantis with Dr. McKay."

"I'm fine" Sheppard insisted.

"You need medical attention" She argued.

"All I needed was some air. I feel fine." he brushed past her and continued down the ramp.

Teyla gave a sigh of resignation and made certain the woman had her children with her this time, before leaving the ship to stand beside Sheppard and giving the Jumper pilot the order to leave them behind.


	6. Chapter 6

Sheppard and Teyla turned into the nearby woods where the remaining villagers had already sought shelter to wait for the next ship to take them to safety. The forest floor was covered with a thick overgrowth of brush that made it impossible for walking but perfect to hide in. Sheppard stopped short of the refugees who were huddled together in silence and turned to Teyla. "It's going to take at least two more trips to get these people out of here."

"I agree." She said looking at them, then back to him and studing him carefully as if sizing him up.

"What?" he asked.

"We could attempt to reach the Stargate on foot." She proposed. "Too many people would draw attention from the Wraith. However there is a chance the two of us could slip past them undetected."

Sheppard nodded. He knew exactly what she was thinking. She hadn't wanted him to leave the Jumper in the first place. She certainly didn't want him hiking to the Gate through a field of dense brush. But at this point anything seemed better than sitting on a log in the woods and waiting; especially when he didn't have aspirin and the wind that did manage to penetrate the trees seemed to be growing icier by the minute. "Let's go" he decided.

* * *

They trudged through the brush and snow toward the Stargate keeping close to the trees and away from the Wraith.

"What?" Sheppard asked when Teyla glanced at him for what had to be the tenth time in two minutes.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"I'm fine." He said, his tone a little more clipped than he'd intended. "A little cold actually" He confided by way of an apology. Their breath was coming out in white puffs of condensation and the cold air hurt his lungs. Teyla seemed to be handling it just fine but he still hadn't completely warmed up from his little freezing-to-death-with-McKay stunt. And now he was tromping through fields on a planet he was already nicknaming 'Hoth' in his mind while his fingers turned numb.

They were halfway to the Gate, skirting a particularly dense clump of brush in the field when the ground gave way beneath Teyla's feet. The only sound she made was a sudden sharp gasp as what she'd thought was solid ground gave way to freezing cold water and swallowed her.

Sheppard reacted instantly reaching out for her, dropping to his knees on the earth -which in retrospect could have easily been ice- and reaching into the water searching for something to hold onto. He finally caught a handful of fabric as she sank and pulled hard as Teyla struggled to push herself up towards the hole in the ice. He yanked on her jacket and succeeded in pulling her head out of the water, then shifted his grasp on her to hooking one arm under her armpit, still holding her jacket with the others hand, and dragging her out onto the bank.

Teyla coughed hoarsely, she had succeeded in not swallowing any water, but sucking in air so suddenly upon resurfacing had burned her lungs with the cold and her chest ached with it.

"Come on" Sheppard grasped both her arms with fingers numb from hours of cold -followed by a freezing cold water chaser- and dragged her to her feet. "If we don't get you back soon you're gonna freeze to death." he started walking faster while keeping an eye on Teyla whose clothes were already starting to stiffen and freeze.

The twoof them turned as onewhen they heard an all too-familiar high pitched whine behind them. "Oh _hell_" Sheppard saw the Wraith dart headed in their direction and quickly upped his pace to a dead run. Teyla stumbled over the rough terrain with legspainful and weak from cold and Sheppard grasped her arm running headlong towards the cover of the woods when the white light overwhelmed them.


	7. Chapter 7

Sheppard jerked awake, feeling the cold of the floor seeping into his body and opened his eyes to be faced once again with solid blackness and an overwhelming sense of disorientation. "McKay?" he tried experimentally.

"Colonel"

"Teyla" This not being able to distinguish reality from fantasy was becoming a real problem. He reached out in the dark in the direction of her voice, touched something cold and wet and decided the continuity with his last memory meant he wasn't dreaming. Though considering the fact that the last thing he remembered was he and Teyla being picked up by a Wraith dart he'd kinda hoped he _had_ been hallucinating this time.

"You okay?" Sheppard asked. He felt Teyla move under his hand and then her hand grasped his.

"I am fine" She said as he stood, pulling her along with him. But she sounded like she was shivering. Sheppard looked around them, eyes straining into the gloom, focusing all his senses on their surroundings.

"Teyla" His tone conveyed a sense of confusion and disturbed hopefulness. "Are we where I think we are?"

"Do you believe we are in Atlantis?" She sounded equally mystified.

Sheppard released Teyla's hand and reached for his radio. "This is Colonel Sheppard can anyone hear me?"

"Sir this is Lieutenant Cadman. Major Lorne asked me to apologize on his behalf for the rough ride but he said he thought under the circumstances any lift was better than none."

Sheppard's sigh of relief was audible "Yeah, remind me to thank him later." he told her.

"Will do Sir. You're just west of the inhabited section so head east a few minutes and you should see lights. I'm on the next Jumper out of here, would you like me to send someone after you Colonel?"

"Negative. We'll be fine."

"Understood. Good luck Sir. Cadman out."

Sheppard turned to Teyla, despite his inability to actually see her. "I think it's this way"

They made their way down dark halls and up stairs, the scents that had tipped them off to their location in the first place, the smell of abandoned rooms tainted with seawater was still strong. Sheppard could hear Teyla's shivering in her breathing now and quickened his pace despite his threatening exhaustion, knowing that if he was this cold she must be freezing. And the fact that he had to grab her wrist and drag her with him made him even more worried. They finally reached a door that looked familiar, Sheppard pressed the button to open it and saw the lights of the city.


	8. Chapter 8

Sheppard started in the direction of personal quarters. "We have to get you dry before you freeze to death." Seeing Teyla in the light had sent a fresh cold shiver down his spine. Her rich skin tone was paler then he would have thought possible, her hair was frozen into strands and her clothes were stiff from wet and cold. But when he came to the hall leading to their rooms he turned the other way.

"Colonel?" Teyla queried, teeth chattering.

"I've got a better idea" Sheppard pulled her down a corridor and into the room at the end of the hall.

"Over here" Sheppard released her wrist, turned the shower on and stepped under the stream, removing his sidearm. He'd have been hard pressed to name an expedition member who hadn't been relieved to find out the Ancients had had showers. But even after his hottest, most sand-blasted mission to date he'd never been so relieved to feel the water streaming over him.

"It is cold" Teyla shivered next to him under the stream.

"That's because you're half frozen." Sheppard removed a piece of ice that was melting off of her hair. "If this was hot enough to feel good it'd cause skin damage. We'd end up with burns." Sheppard said stripping off his jacket.

Teyla fumbled with her own waterlogged jacket trying to get it unzipped.

"Let me help you with that" Sheppard offered unzipping it.

"My hands won't work" Teyla shivered as she tried unsuccessfully to pull her jacket off.

"They're warming up." He took her jacket off for her and threw it on the floor with his own before taking her hands in his and giving them a closer look. "You've definitely got frostbite, whatever you do don't rub them, just give them time to warm up slowly."

Teyla nodded her understanding and stood still under the stream, her entire body feeling strange, and the sensation of being pricked by thousands of tiny pins and needles was giving way to a more distinct pain.

Sheppard, for his part was starting to turn red on his exposed flesh and the itchy burning sensation was hard to ignore. He resisted the urge to rub the back of his neck. "Feeling any better?"

"I have never been so cold." She shuddered.

"Let's sit down" Sheppard said tiredly, lowering himself onto the floor. Teyla sat down beside him and he wrapped his right arm around her holding her close into his side for warmth. He longed for a wall to lean back against but the wall was too far from the showerhead so he leaned his head against Teyla's instead and closed his eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Since this is the last chapter I would like to say thank you once again for all the wonderful reviews. I don't have time to reply to them but I read each one eagerly and am very greatful for your opinions. I hope this last and final chapter will not be a dissapointment to you. Thanks so much for reading. -Mel

* * *

"Colonel, Colonel Sheppard" 

Sheppard woke slowly to the voice and felt the hard cold floor under his body as he awakened. "McKay?"

"Time to wake up"

Sheppard reluctantly forced his brain out of the foggy purgatory of drowsiness almost afraid of where he was going to find himself. But gradually his brain started to register information from certain senses. For one thing he was actually warm, for another he was soaking wet, and third, there was something lying on his right arm and he had a pretty good idea what it was. His eyes opened slowly, confirming his suspicions. Teyla was indeed close at his side, her head resting on his arm, fast asleep. Sheppard put off waking her and looked at McKay. "What are you doing here?"

"I got here hours ago with the first Puddle Jumper. There was some minor frostbite, still kind of painful actually…" Sheppard glared at him from the shower floor and McKay managed to stem the flow of self-pity. "Sorry it took us so long to find you. Now that it was my fault, it was no one's fault actually. We have at least a village of peaceful natives in temporary quarters that we're still going to have to do…something with. Then aJumper had to be sent to planet to rescue Major Lorne's team. He actually brought back his own transportation. Wraith Dart. Quite interesting actually, might come in handy…"

"I heard about it." Sheppard interrupted.

"Right, of course, anyway as I was saying someone had reported you two returned to Atlantis so it took a while for anyone to notice you were both missing."

"So you used the life signs detector" Sheppard surmised.

"No actually we tracked the unusually large drain on the hot water."

Sheppard looked at the ceiling and realized he had no idea how long they'd been asleep with the water on, but judging from his wrinkling skin -not to mention the fact that he actually felt thawed- it had been a while. "Oops"

McKay stepped behind them and flipped the faucet off.

The sudden change in sound and pressure, combined with the fact that in absence of the hot water being wet was a bit chilly, caused Teyla to stir.

"Hey Teyla" Sheppard touched her shoulder with his left hand.

Teyla's eyes opened and met his.

"Feel okay?" Sheppard asked.

Teyla sat up. "I feel much better."

"Good." Sheppard reclaimed his right arm which had fallen asleep her head.

"Doctor Beckett wanted me to tell you two he's expecting both of you in the infirmary" McKay informed them.

"Thank you doctor McKay" Teyla stood and offered a hand to Sheppard, who was still trying to regain feeling in his right arm and therefore accepted gratefully.

Sheppard looked at Teyla, feeling tired but content as his soaked clothes dripped steadily onto the floor, and smiled. "Warm enough?"

"Yes." She smiled back at him. "Thank you Colonel"

"Anytime" Sheppard promised as they exited the room into the cooler hallway leaving thier jackets and a trail of water behind them, "And I thought we agreed you were going to call me John?"

* * *


End file.
